


Little Soldier

by ZodiacShoGun



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Slow Burn, din has a sense of humor, reaaallly slow burn, well whattaya know
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:48:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29284041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZodiacShoGun/pseuds/ZodiacShoGun
Summary: A mechanic named Natika, who has been living on Nevarro for years, trying to make a name for herself and get herself off the ground, has been trying to convince anyone to take her on their ship along with them, even the Mandalorian. To her surprise, Mando finally agrees to taking her with him on his ship, possibly being the adventure that makes a name for herself. Whether it's in a good way, or a bad way, is yet to be known.This, for the most part, follows the show. I do deviate where I deem necessary though. Some scenarios/characters are taken from D&D sessions my friends and I partake in. (Will add tags as the story goes on, if I'm missing any please tell me, I've only recently started submitting works here!)
Relationships: Din Djarin/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

“Wait seriously? You’re just going to leave me here!?” I storm after my now ex-employer, “I’m your mechanic! What are you going to do when you need to fix your ship up?” I bump into him when he stops abruptly. He jerks away from me, glaring with his solid red eyes, briefly he looks in mine, and a flash of fear appears, causing him to look away. An all too familiar look.

'' You disgust me, you’re not Chiss” He hisses looking at me up and down, “What the hell are you?” 

I stared daggers at him, answering in a low growl, “My mother is Chiss, my father was a CLONE!” I grab him by the collar “Do NOT disrespect my FAMILY!” He grabs me by the throat, lifting me in the air, choking me. 

“Your mother is a TRAITOR.” he tosses me to the ground, causing me to bite my lip.

"WHY DID YOU HIRE ME IN THE FIRST PLACE THEN?! IT'S NOT EXACTLY A SECRET!" I gesture harshly to myself. He turns away from me.

"Karga paid me to take you in." He spits out. "I figured I'd humor him for a couple bounties and be rid of you, but I can't handle such deformities. You may be partly Chiss but that doesn't save you from the rest of your genetics." He rushes to his ship without a second glance.

“Fine! I HOPE YOUR STUPID SHIP CRASHES!” His ship lifts to take off, kicking dust and ash all around the area. Tears well up in my eyes in frustration. I wipe my face off, coughing a bit and kicking the dirt, _haar’chak!_ I stand there a while and take a deep breath, “I need something cool to drink.” Nodding to myself I head to the cantina to gather my thoughts, ordering a drink and sitting down at the bar. I soak in the local buzz. Different species, people of all colors, the music soothes me. I usually hate the loud atmosphere of the bar but days like this? It’s perfect. ‘ _Stupid hypocrite. Has he not looked in a mirror? At least I only have red irises. Why did I even come here? I should go home…’_

“Hello everybody!” I turn towards the voice to see Greef Karga, Guild Master of Nevarra, tall, stocky, dark, striding through the doors like he always does. His kind face, which really doesn’t fit the man, pulled into a smile. He notices me sitting at the bar, his kind face turns to a concerned frown at the site of me, but quickly goes back. “Hey Natika, looks like you had a rough day?” motioning to my lip.

“Hey Karga” I sigh “yeah it’s been a rough day, got fired again…” He pats me on the shoulder with a furrowed brow. 

“Well I just think that they can’t handle such a pretty, smart, young lady like yourself.” 

I snorted at his statement. “With this bluish tinted skin? These red eyes? ” I look down, rubbing my forearm “Anyways, I’m almost 30.”

“Why, you’re still a spring chicken.” I laugh. “Hey, there’s a laugh! Don’t worry about your job sweetheart, you’ll find another employer. You don’t need to worry, alright? I’ve known you since you were knee-high to a blurrg.” I wrinkle my nose at the comparison. 

“Why did you say a blurrg? Why not use a cuter animal?” He laughs. 

“Want me to talk to him? I don’t mind. He _is_ working for me.” He pauses. “Well… at least for now.”

I smile, waving my hand dismissively “No thanks, Karga, it’s fine. Thanks for the offer though.” I turn back to my drink as he hmms to himself. 

“Why don’t you go hang out by the landing area? Perhaps someone will come in who needs repairs? Or you could take the day off and relax?” 

I shake my head, “I’ll head out to the shipyard.” hopping down from my chair, I give Karga a light hug and before I leave the bar I look up at him. "Did you really pay him to take me with him?" The muscles in his face twitch slightly. "He told me you did… after calling my mother a traitor and calling me a monster." He apologizes.

"Not a lot of people in the guild are always willing to bring along a mechanic. But everyone knows you're the best of the best. I know your mother was a mechanic but you are a prodigy!" 

I hug him once more, "Thanks Karga but please don't do that ever again." He nods. I give him a wave and head out the doors. The heat of the day washes over me like so many times before. I lean against the entrance of the city, scanning the area, there’s either no ships or they’ve already got someone on them. _‘Slow day for travel.’_ I think as I listen to the hustle and bustle of Nevarro City. People going about their day, surviving, barely thriving. Junk and scrap everywhere. This dark muted place. ‘ _I miss home,’_ I find myself thinking. Ever since I came here a few years ago, I haven’t been able to get back home. I’ve been here trying to make it on my own, thankfully my parents have been friends with Karga for years, otherwise I’d be completely out of my league. 

I’m about to head back to the cantina when I hear the approach of a ship. I look up to see a familiar pre-empire starship settling down. The hatch lowers and a man in makeshift armor, save his unique helm, with a T-shaped visor, unique to his people, which is typically shiny and clean, is now caked in mud; The Mandalorian. He started coming around here a while ago, taking a few jobs at a time and then setting off to collect, returning with each and every quarry. Never failing to please clients. Along with him appeared a small pram following close behind him. ‘ _He must be back from that last job.’_ I approach him with a spring in my step. “Hey there, Mando, welcome back! Fine day today, right?” Seeing he isn’t stopping, I walk with him. “Need any fixing done on your ship?”

“No.” I stop, seeing he’s impatient to get to where he’s going. ‘ _As usual, short sentences. He needs to expand his vocabulary.’_ I glance at the pram, a small green alien with large ears looks up at me, a slight ringing starts in my head, I scratch at my ear ‘I _wonder if that’s the big bounty that everyone’s been talking about.’_ I walk back to the entrance, contemplating looking at his ship anyways. ‘ _I sure hope not… it’s just a baby.’_ I kick around the scrap lying about, seeing what’s good and what’s not. ‘ _I hope mom and_ buir _are doing okay.’_ I haven’t been able to contact them as much as we’d both like, I don’t dare call them while on a job, it risks my employer getting caught. I head to my home, winding through the streets waving to friends, stopping for a short chat. As I reach my little house, I spot some kids playing around. One of them spots me, their eyes lighting up. 

The adorably pink Twi’lek child runs up to me, holding her arms out, “ _Numa_!” She shrieks.

“ _Kassuurra, ma lia’ry!”_ I pick her up, hugging her. She giggles as I swing her around.

“I missed you, _Numa_! Where did you go? Did you go on lots of adventures?” She looks at me with sparkling eyes. I chuckle, setting her down. I crouch down to look her in the eyes. 

“I went on SOOOO many adventures!” I spread my hands out as I speak, using them to exaggerate the details. “I went to soo many planets! Big ones, little ones, really hot ones, really cooolllld ones!” I rub my arms, indicating I was cold. 

She giggles and then looks at me very seriously, “Did you see any monsters?” At this point the other children have gathered around us, all wide eyed, drinking in every moment. On the edge of their metaphorical seats, with bated breath. 

“Ohhh yes… I saw soo many monsters!” I hear several gasps amongst the young crowd. “but, of course,” I flex my arms, doing silly poses, “They were no match for big sis Natika! Grrr!” I do a few light punches in the air, earning me some cheers. 

“ _Kassuurra,_ Natika” I look up to see my neighbor and friend, Aola. I turn towards the children, 

“Alright guys, story time over, go and play!” I wave as the little ones take off and stand. I hug Aola, “Kassuura, my friend. How are you?” She smiles at me. 

“I’m doing well, how about yourself? I was by the shipyard earlier…” Her purple lekku twitch as I look down, avoiding her gaze. “Would you like to join us for dinner, tonight?” 

“I’m sorry but I have some stuff I’d like to do today. I just got back from a long trip so I’d like to relax, and… maybe call my mom. I haven’t spoken to her in awhile. I’ll grab something small at the cantina. _Arni_ , Aola.” I smile, giving her a hug before I retire to my abode. I check my bag of tools I left in my closet, making sure they’re all there. ‘ _I didn’t have to bring my own, since that..._ chakaar… _had his own set.’_ I sigh. I look around for my holophone, when I find it I grab it and search for my mother’s number. I set it on my desk as I wait for her to answer, a quiet jingle plays. 

“Natika my darling child! I’ve missed you so much! How have you been? Have you been eating well? It’s been so long since we’ve last talked! How’s Greef? How was your last job? Ho-” 

“Mom! Slow down!” I plea. She laughs dryly. 

“Sorry...eheh” She tucks her hair behind her ear. I smile at a familiar sight. 

“Anyways… I’m doing okay, I guess. I just got fired earlier today though…” she gasps, giving her apologies. “it’s okay mom, he was _di’kutla._ ”

“Honey, what happened?” I avert my gaze. 

“I don’t really want to talk about it… anyways, it was still kind of fun. I got to see some nice ships! Karga’s himself as ever. You know why I can’t call while on a job, though. It increases the chance of getting caught.” She nods. “Hey where’s _buir_?” She rolls her eyes.

“Oh you know, off somewhere… probably chatting with buddies. Or shooting something. Hell might even be tinkering, yet again, with that armor of his.”

“He’s never going to get rid of that armor, huh?” I snort, _same old_ buir _._

“Well you know how he is, plus, that kind of stuff is easily upgraded by itself. It saves credits.” I hear a commotion in the background, “Ah, here’s your precious _buir_ now!” She turns away from the holo, speaking to my father. An aged face appears in the holo.

“Ah, _su cuy’gar verd’ika_ ” He waves, smiling. “How is your training going?” 

“It’s going well, _buir_. While I’m hired as a mechanic here, I still have to defend myself on trips.” I pause. “Although… not sure when I’m going to be able to go on another trip” I let out a short, dry laugh. 

“I heard from your mother. What happened..?” He asks, despite already knowing.

“You know, _buir_ , I don’t want to say in case mom is around.” He looks around him, checking for the whereabouts of his _riduur_. He gives me a thumbs up, indicating the all clear. I chuckle at his antics. “He… was a Chiss.” His face immediately shows that he understands. “He called her a traitor… I don’t understand how he could talk like that about his own kind…” He sighs.

“Well… I’ve only met so many Chiss, really only know your mother, but she’s told me stories of her home. They’re not really accepting of outsiders. The only reason _ner riduur_ is the way she is, is because of her aunt and uncle _._ They saved her mother, which allowed her to give birth to your own mother _._ They raised her, keeping her mind open.” I smile, hearing about the rest of my family.

“ _Buir?_ ” He nods, indicating to continue. “Tell me how you two met again? I need some cheering up.” He chuckles.

“ _Ner verd’ika,_ you’ve heard this story a thousand times.” I nod quietly. “Alright. Towards the beginning of the clone wars, I had just been reassigned after a devastating battle on Geonosis.” A brief flash of guilt appears on his face, leaving just as quick. “I would be joining a jedi, your uncle Ty, on a mission to destroy a droid factory in the Outer Rim. We needed a discreet transport ship in order to get close enough to the planet. We went to a local bar to see if we could find someone. Ty ordered him and me, some Corellian Rum to relax and despite my genetic tolerance of alcohol, it still knocked me on my ass. Even better, I had forgotten to take my helmet off, so I got drunk purely by contact.” He rubs the back of his head in embarrassment. ‘ _It must be pretty strong to be able to do that,’_ I think in surprise, ‘buir _has always been able to hold his alcohol_ .’ “Your mother, whose aunt and uncle ended up owning the bar, was sitting at the bar after a hard day of work. She, either forgetting or just not caring that she had an intolerance, was drinking some Bantha milk. After a long day working on machinery, I would drink some Milk too.” I nod in agreement. ‘ _Milk always makes things better.’_ “Anyways, your mother, as you know, gets gassy when she drinks milk due to her intolerance, and she rips a fat one.” _buir_ chuckles for a while before continuing. ‘ _He always starts to break at this point,’_ I laugh alongside him. “Like you could hear it over everything going on in the Cantina. It was honestly kriffing impressive,” He wipes his face, trying to calm himself in order to be able to tell the story further. “Her uncle tried to play it off as him being the one to do it, but it didn’t work for everyone. With me being drunk off my ass, I perceived it as a threat, and I jumped up, pulling my blaster.” He mimics the motions of pulling his blaster. “Except I’m holding my blaster backwards. Before I’m really able to do any damage I pass out on the floor. Things go back to normal a bit, I eventually wake up and walk towards your mother. I asked her, while still drunk mind you, if she knew anyone that had a ship for our “super duper secret mission”. Your mother, horrified at the sight of this huge man walking up to her after pulling a blaster, is speechless and just stares at me, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, Poor Ty came over to diffuse the situation. He tried to get me to calm down by using his force powers and he ended up just knocking me straight out cold. Her aunt then proceeded to stuff my bag full with different pastries and pies since we were all going on a mission together.” We’re both laughing, causing an inquisitive murmur in the background from my mother. _Buir_ assures her it’s nothing and turns back to me. “I honestly think I fell in love with her at that moment, despite her not even thinking about me for most of our journey. Your father was almost gonna be Ty by how things were going. Still not sure how I got so lucky.” 

“Just think, if mom hadn’t come to her senses, I wouldn’t exist!” We both snicker to ourselves. “Well _buir_ , I’m gonna head off. I’m going to go get myself something to eat. _Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, buir.”_

 _“Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, ner verd’ika.”_ Just as I’m about to shut off the holo, my mother appears again.

“Wait! Natika! I need to tell you something!” I tilt my head. "I felt something earlier, before you called, I'm not sure what it is, but you should be aware of anything. Also say hi to Greef for us! I love you!”

“I love you too, mom, bye!” I shut off the holo before anyone else decides to butt in. I stand up and head back to the cantina to get something to eat. I hesitate as I walk by Aola’s house. _'I wonder what the force told her…'_ my mother, although force sensitive, it's a bit of a hit and miss with her, _'Should I even…?'_ I quickly head back to my house to grab my bag and stuff a few things inside, _'Eh, it never hurts.'_ I head back outside and towards my neighbors. I open the door, seeing Aola at her small kitchen, beginning their dinner. “ _Kassuurra_!” She returns the greeting, focusing on the hot pan. 

“Did you end up changing your mind after all?” 

“Well… no… not really. I just… came by to chat. I have a feeling I might have a job again soon. So I thought I’d say goodbye for now.” I hear small feet approaching the room and see my little friend.

“ _Numa!_ You’re here! Are you joining us for dinner!?” I pick her up and hug her.

“I’m sorry, _ma lia’ry._ I was just making sure to say goodbye before I go. I might have another adventure to go on!” She gasps with joy.

“Wooowww! That’s so cool!” She hugs me. “I hope you have fun, _numa_ , I’ll miss you.” I give her a tight hug.

“I’ll miss you too,” I set her down and headed towards the door. I wave goodbye. 

“ _Ka’ta, numa! Ka’ta!”_

_“Ka’ta!”_

I take my place at the bar and order something small, I’m not really all that hungry. I look around, waiting for my food to finish and see Karga sitting at a table nearby. I head over for a second for a chat, “Hey Karga! I just finished talking to my parents not too long ago.”

“Oh yeah? How are they?”

“Oh, you know, dad is dad, mom is mom. The usual.” I smile brightly. 

“You seem to be in a better mood, I’m happy to see that.” I smile at him.

“Yeah, dad told me the story of how they met again. I’ve always liked that story.” Karga laughs heartily.

“Yes, that is quite THE story. Your mother always gets so mad when he brings it up. By the by, why do you have your bag with you? Did you get a new offer like I said you would?” He smacks my right arm encouragingly. 

“Unfortunately, no, but mom said something about having a feeling a good thing might happen so, I figured I’d be prepared!” 

“Your mother and her feelings.” He chuckles. “She’s usually right about those y’know…” The Cantina door opens, Karga smirks elbowing me “Well, well, well, maybe there’s your opportunity right there?” I look towards the door, seeing a newly armored Mando. ‘ _Where did he get all that be-’_ He starts to move and I notice something missing. The child. I frown at the indication. “Hopefully not,” I scowl. “Well, I’ll talk to you later, Karga.” I return to my seat just as my plate is set down. 

“Mando!” Karga stands up as he’s gesturing to the crowd around him, “They all hate you, y’know! Because you, Mando, are a LEGEND!” Murmurs spread amongst the crowd, frustrations.

“How many of them had tracking fobs?” _He sure doesn’t sound happy._

“All of them. All of them!” He boasts, “But not _one_ of them closed the deal. Only you, Mando. Only you.” Karga relaxes in his seat, smiling. “And with it, the richest reward this parsec has ever seen.”

Gesturing to the seat across from him, he invites him to sit. “They’re all weighing the Beskar in their minds, but not me. I celebrate your success, for it is my success as well.” He flashes two ingots of Beskar from his vest. “Now, how could I possibly show my most valuable partner, the gratitude he deserves?”

“I want my next job.” Mando states. Karga huffs in disbelief. 

“Next job? For Maker’s sake, man, take some time off, enjoy yourself!” He leans in close, whispering something about the Twi’lek baths. I roll my eyes, disgusted. Not changing his tone, yet saying with more force, he spits out “I want my next job.” Karga sighs, leaning back against the seat. I leave as Karga pours out the pucks, giving him the cream of the crop. It’s getting dark, and the air is warm, but cooler than midday. ‘ _It’s always so stuffy in there, all those sweaty bounty hunters.’_ I stretch my limbs, stiff and a bit tired after doing nothing all day. I hear the mechanic shift of the door in the background and see a hurried Mando stomping his way passed. My mother’s words flash into my head. ‘ _Listen to your gut, huh?’_ I reluctantly jog to catch up with him. “Mando! Hey! I’d like to go with you, be your mechanic. It doesn’t hurt to have one, y’know? Whattaya say? I don’t cost much.” His head snaps towards me, he clearly didn’t see me until I spoke.

“Huh? Uh, sure.” He says absentmindedly, he shakes his head, still stomping to his ship. I stop walking for a second, disappointed and surprised. ‘ _Something’s really got his mind stuck, huh.’_ I hurry onto the ship as he prepares to take off. I hear the beautiful whirring and hissing as the old girl warms up. I close my eyes waiting for the drop in my stomach as he begins lifting off, but nothing comes. I peek an eye open. Confused, I climb up to the cockpit and see Mando, arm outstretched, hesitating. Suddenly he shuts everything off, flicking switches, pushing buttons. I smile as he stands up to leave the cockpit. _‘I hope he’s doing what I think he’s doing’_

“Stay here. If you hear shots start her up.” I shout an affirmation as he leaves. ‘ _Determined to get that child back no doubt.’_ I smile as I sit in the pilot’s chair. I watch as the sun sets even further, ever so slowly. Stars popping into existence one by one. The sound of blaster fire alerts me, snapping me out of my dream-like state. I flick on everything, starting the Razor Crest. The blaster fire ceased suddenly. I strain my ears to see if I can hear anything at all. Coming from town I hear several sniper shots. Screaming and chaos ensue. The stream of blaster shots begins again and suddenly there’s even more, a chaingun has joined the fight. I rush from my seat down the ladder, I notice several people with jetpacks in the air, firing into the town. I squint my eyes, trying to make everything out better, they’re all wearing similar helmets to Mando. ‘ _Other… Mandalorians?!’_ I stare in disbelief. ‘ _Where did THEY come from? I mean I figured he wasn’t the only one but where…’_ I notice a figure in the increasing dark coming towards the ship. Startled, I look around for a place to hide and choose the bunk and close the door. I hear quick footsteps enter the crest. ‘ _What is going on…?’_ Soon I hear another set of footsteps. 

“Hold it, Mando.” ‘ _Karga?’_ “I didn’t want it to come to this. But then you broke the Code.” My blood runs cold as I hear a blaster shot. I hear a thud. I open the door, afraid of what I will see. Whether Karga or Mando is dead on the floor, I don’t know. I hear Mando turn his blaster towards me. I peek out and see Karga, lying on the floor motionless. I stare at his lifeless body in horror. I knew this kind of thing was a possibility considering his profession, but still... it’s… ‘ _How will I tell_ buir _?’_ Mando watches me for a second before heading to the cockpit with the child. I close the hatch as he takes her up. _‘I’m never coming back here, am I?’_ I sit on the cold, hard, steel floor of the ship, losing myself in my thoughts. _‘Poor Karga…’_

* * *

Translations:

Mando'a  
buir - father (parent)  
chakaar - corpse robber, thief, petty criminal  
di'kutla - useless, stupid, worthless  
Su cuy'gar verd'ika - Hello little soldier  
riduur - spouse  
ner - my, mine  
Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum - I love you (I know you forever)

Ryl  
Numa - Big Sister  
Kassuurra, ma lia'ry! - Hello, my little sister!  
Arni - Thanks  
Ka'ta - goodbye


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick restock stop is made, to top off anything that couldn't be done on Nevarro. For... obvious reasons. Nat gets the idea to add a shower to the many features of the Razor Crest (because EVERY fanfiction I read says there's a shower or a fresher but WHERE! so I fix that)

I find myself with another job, bouncing the child on my knee after feeding him and myself. I don't mind, I babysat my little cousin all the time growing up, this is a piece of cake.  _ 'I did mention it after all.'  _ I think back to after we went into hyperspace, Mando seemed distraught at the different needs and mannerisms of a child. I mentioned I used to babysit while growing up, and offered to take care of the child while no repairs were needed. After staring at me for a while, he nodded curtly, handing the kid to me. I looked towards the cockpit, hoping Mando was currently eating. I assured him I wouldn't disturb him, knocking if I needed to speak with him. I learned from my  _ buir _ that some Mandalorians swore a creed to never take their helmets off in front of anyone. A ringing in my ears kicks up again, forcing me to put the child down and rubbing my temples.  _ 'Just what is this? Should I get a check up? Stars, my head hurts…'  _ I bend over trying to relieve the pain, when suddenly it stops, a small hand rests on my head. I take a deep breath, relieved the pain is gone. I pick him up and stand up heading towards the bunk. 

"I think a nap is due, my little friend." He tilts his head at me, his ears lowering. "Don't give me that, young man. You've had a rough couple days, you need some nice sleep." I place him in his hammock that hangs above Mando's bunk. The child looks at me with his big ol' eyes. I shake my head, placing my hands on my hips. "You want me to sing you to sleep again, don't you?" He coos cutely in affirmation. I crawl into the bunk, keeping close to him. I hum to a tune I was taught at a young age back on Mandalore, before...everything, it's short so I just continue humming until I know he's asleep. I quietly crawl out of the bunk and manually close the shutter. 

I head up to the cockpit, knocking on the door. Mando lets me in. "Did you eat well, Mando?" He nods quietly, thanking me. "I just got the kid down for a nap, so things should be quiet for a while." We sit in silence for a while. 

"We're going to a nearby planet to stock up on some things," he messes with the screen in front of him. "I didn't get the chance to stock up before leaving Nevarro." I snorted.  _ 'I wonder why…' _

I nod, despite him not looking at me. "Sounds like a good idea." I noticed the food was getting low, and it'd be nice to take a shower or something. "Where are we going specifically? Do you think there's a clinic there?" Mando looks at me. "I've just been getting some headaches, just want to make sure nothings wrong." He nods and turns back to the front. 

"We're going to tatooine, there's no guild there so we should be safe for at least a little while.” 

“What about the Child?” There may be no guild here, but there has to be people from the guild here. He thinks for a bit. He suggests I head to the doctors first, since it's an unknown medical issue. I nod as he descends to Mos Eisley. The tower control hails us, asking us to dock in bay 3-5. Mando obliges, flying the crest down, settling gently in the bay. I head out of the cockpit to check on the child, he's still asleep so I don't disturb him. I head out of the ship, a couple droids head up towards the ship. 

"Just some fuel should suffice, thank you" I stretch my limbs before heading to the small office where I see the caretaker of the bay reading a datapad. "Excuse me, ma'am," she looks up at me. "Do you happen to know where the nearest clinic is?" She nods and gives me directions. She introduces herself as Peli, I smile, introducing myself as Natika. I give her a wave as I head out into the city. I reached the clinic swiftly as it was just nearby. I head in, a few people sitting down in the waiting area, I speak to the receptionist, mentioning that I just want to check out a headache I've been struggling with. She nods and jots me down, saying it'll be maybe 20 or 30 minutes. "Would it be alright if I came back? I just have to stop by my docking bay." She nods.

"It should be fine," she smiles. I smile back and hurry out the door. I walk into the docking bay to hear a shot ring out. I rush into the landing area, Peli comes screaming out of her office. The droids who I asked to refuel the ship are folded up on the ground, Mando is pointing his blaster at them. I ran up to Mando.

"Mando, what are you doing? They were refueling the ship!" The helmet snaps to me.

"No. Droids." 

"If you destroy those droids, you'll pay for it!" Peli screams, red in the face.

"Keep the droids away from my ship." I can't see it but I know he's glaring underneath that visor.

"Just, calm down, Mando, I asked them to refuel, I'm sorry, I didn't know you didn't like droids." He looks slowly back to me, "No more droids from now on, I promise." He nods and puts his blaster away. "Anyways, I came back to say that it'd be about 30 or so minutes before I could see the clinic doctor. I'll be back around then and then we can go shopping." Sensing the situation has been defused, I suggest Mando leave the baby to Peli and he can get some rest. He resists, saying it's too dangerous. "It's just until I come back, an hour tops. I promise nothing bad will happen to the child." 

He lowers his voice. "We have never met this woman before, we don't know her." 

“Mando, please, you haven’t slept in days.” I shove my fists on my hips. “The baby’s asleep anyways…” Mando starts to say something when we both hear the sound of fussing. Tiny footsteps make their way to the ramp of the ship. We look quietly towards the maker of those sounds. “Nevermind…” 

“What in the heck is that!?” A shrill voice snaps us out of our distraction. I ran over to pick up the child, holding him close. I smile cheekily at Peli.

“This is uh…” I look at Mando, hoping he can help explain. 

“He’s a pet.” My mouth drops. 

“He’s not a pet! This is a sentient being! He’s just a baby! He’s our baby!” I snarl at him. The baby fusses a little at my tone. The ringing starts again, I try to bounce him to calm him down, apologizing for being scary. I stagger a little, the ringing getting louder. I sit down and hold my head with my free hand. “Please… please calm down…” the ringing lessens considerably, I look up to see that Peli has taken the child into her hands and has started bouncing him herself. I try to stand up. “I need to get back to the clinic, I’m sure it’ll be my turn soon..” I wobble a few steps when I feel mando come up to steady me.

“I’m going with you.” He states, helping me along. I shake my head, trying to say I’m fine, that I can go myself.

“You can barely stand you dim witted brat!” Peli chastises. 

“I just need to sit a while but I need to get to the clinic.” I squeeze my eyes shut and rub my eyes. The ringing starts again but it’s soft, warm. I start to feel better, standing up straight. I breathe out, straightening out my back. “I’m… I’m fine now. I can make it to the clinic by myself.” I hear a gasp coming from Peli, Mando and my head jerk towards her, concerned about what happened. The baby is asleep again. 

“It just… passed out. I don’t know what happened!” Mando walks up to her, gently taking him from her. 

“He just needs some sleep.” He walks back into the Crest, child in tow. I sigh in frustration, shrugging my shoulders.  _ ‘I’ll ask him about it later. He most likely knows what happened.’  _ I wave at Peli, leaving the bay in a hurry, hopefully making it to my appointment. I walk into the clinic, noticing the number of people has gone down considerably.  _ ‘Must be a droid if the patients went down this fast.’ _

“Ah, you’ve returned,” the receptionist smiles at me. “The patient before you should be just finishing up, please have a seat.” I smile and nod to her in thanks, taking a seat closest to the door. Will the scan find anything? Am I just stressed?  _ ‘I wouldn’t doubt it’ _ Maybe it has something to do with the child… I shouldn’t mention that though, I don’t know if that would cause any problems. My name is called and I stand up, carefully passing by the person who just came out of the infirmary. Walking into the room, I see the nurse droid, cleaning up the area previously used. 

“Welcome, I am a 2-1B medical droid. Please tell me all ailments that you are currently experiencing, or have experienced in the past.” The droid has a soft feminine voice, to help in keeping patients calm. It’s dead eyes null that effect.

“I’ve been hearing a ringing in my head, it can get pretty severe and leads to massive headaches that cause disorientation.” The droid pauses for a moment, calculating what I just said. 

“Please sit down, ma’am. I will scan you for any abnormalities.” I oblige, sitting in the chair she just cleaned. She opens the palm of her hand, scanning me slowly and methodically. My thoughts race, as it scans me. The sound of the scanner retreating snaps me out of my trance and I look up at the droid. She straightens, processing the results. “I could not find any abnormalities that may be causing these headaches you have been having. Have you been getting ample sleep? What is your water intake like? Have you experienced anything traumatic?” I wince at the last question. 

“I guess I haven’t been getting as much sleep as I could be, I believe I’ve been drinking enough water, and…” I hesitate. The droid seems to get my hesitation.

“I would suggest perhaps talking to a trusted friend or family member.” I sigh loudly.  _ ‘I wish I could talk to mom and  _ buir _ right now…’  _ I stand up, thanking the droid. It states a response in return. I return to the receptionist up front, inquiring about cost. I explain that the droid scanned me and asked some questions and gave me friendly advice. 

“How does 30 credits sound?” I nod, impressed. I hand her the credits with a thanks and make my way back to the holding bay. I come back to see Peli working on the Razor Crest. I greet her and ask her about Mando. He supposedly has been resting since shortly after I left, I somehow doubt it but I nod. We chat for a while, I help with the touching up of the Crest. There wasn’t much to do so the both of us made quick work of it. A mere polish job was all it was. I stepped into the ship to check on Mando and the child. I didn't see him in the cargo hold so I checked the cockpit. I see he’s not there so the only place he could be is in his bunk.  _ ‘Good, he  _ **_actually_ ** _ listened to me.’  _ I take this opportunity to take inventory of all our supplies and make notice of what we need. There isn’t much more of what we need, so I take the opportunity to grab my holo from my bag. I sit out on the ramp, it’s midafternoon, I wonder what time it is at home right now. The holo rings for a while, I let out a huff of air in disappointment. ‘ _ She’s either sleeping or busy…’  _ I hang up the holo and put it back away. I hear heavy footsteps approach me from behind. 

“Who were you trying to call?” A groggy voice speaks up. I look up at mando with a smile.

“Sounds like you slept well?” He grunts, not wanting to admit it. I laugh at his childish demeanor. “I’ll take that as a yes.” I stand up to face him. “Also I was just trying to contact some family. It was recommended by the clinic.” I avoid his face and mutter under my breath, “Something about a traumatic event… or something.” 

“Look, I didn’t…” I put my hands up, stopping him. 

“I get it, I really do. It was either you or him, it’s just going to take a while to process it. He was family, you know?” He clenches his fist silently. I clear my throat. Attempting to change the topic, I bring up the inventory. “I took stock of all the items we have and don’t have. We can do some shopping if you’re up to it now.” He nods silently. I ask Peli if she can keep watch of the child while we stock up. She nods with a smile, clearly gleeful at the mere thought of him.

Mando and I head out to the market in search of the supplies we need to comfortably travel. We stock up on food rations, I also decided to buy some water rations as well.  _ ‘I should try to heed the droid's advice as well as I can.’  _ I think to myself, handing credits to the vendor, thanking them. I’ve been checking off the list as we go, Nurishment? Check. Water? Check. Medical? Check. Munitions? Check. That seems to be everything on the list but I feel like we’re forgetting something. 

“Can you think of anything else we might need?” I question mando. He thinks to himself silently for a few seconds, before answering negatively. I hum to myself,  _ ‘It really feels like I’m missing something… what is it…’ _ I take a long look around the market, scanning each booth, trying to figure out the missing piece. My eyes stop at a clothes vendor. I shake my head, I’ve got plenty of clothes. My eyes stop at a hygienics vendor. There isn’t a shower on the Crest itself, just that dingy toilet system, so there’s no real reason to buy soap and what-not, bathhouses supply that themselves.  _ ‘I do hate going to those bathhouses though...I wonder If I could convert it into a shower. Shouldn’t be too hard, honestly.’  _ I snap my head up at Mando. “Would it be alright if I installed a shower into your ship?” He seems shocked by my question, given how he’s not answering me. “It wouldn’t be too hard, I’d put it where the toilet is, it’d be a combination thing.” 

“Why do we need a shower  **on** the ship?” I sigh. 

“I may be a mechanic, but I’m a woman first. It’d be nice to take a shower while in hyperdrive, considering we’re not always going to have the time to stop by some planet that  **might** have a bathhouse.” I cross my arms. “It shouldn’t take too long! I promise.” I’m already heading to a nearby scrap dealer, hoping they have at least some of the parts I need. Mando hasn’t said yes, but he also hasn’t said no, as he follows me around. We head back to the ship after I gather all the parts I can find. Which honestly… isn’t much.  _ ‘I hope I can make do with what I have. It should be fine.’ _ I’ve tinkered with plumbing and whatnot growing up, this should be easy. We get to the bay and I set off to work, I remove the overly large tank that is the toilet, and remove the flooring. I take a look at the plumbing underneath, planning my attack.  _ ‘I’ll need a way to get the water up to the shower head, maybe I can use the pipes for the toilet. I also need to move those… maybe off to the side?’  _ I’m lost in thought, planning this all out in my head. I hum softly to myself, getting to work. 

“Okay so that’s the…” I say out loud. 

“What?” I jump slightly at the voice that isn’t mine.

“Oh, sorry, I was talking to myself. It helps me think.” I smile. “I’ll try to keep it down.” Mando says that it’s fine, and I nod. I go back to my work, I decided to move the toilet to the side, there’s enough room if I shrink the size of the actual toilet. It doesn’t need to be this big, to accommodate other species or not. I snorted.  _ ‘I hate the empire as much as anyone but seriously… Old Republic guidelines suck.’ _ As I’m working I realize there’s no water heater.  _ ‘Cold showers? No thanks… Hmm… maybe I can modify the walter filter so that it intakes heat from the shield projectors… It wouldn’t be perfect, but it’d be better than freezing cold. Or maybe I could redirect from the heatsink, taking even more heat from the upper area increasing the efficiency of it...hmmm…’  _ I let out a loud sigh, wondering how to accomplish that. I lean back against the wall, running through my mind, connecting everything in my mind. The soft ringing I’m used to, when I’m working on ships, starts up. This is different from the harsh, almost unfocused ringing I’ve been getting recently. My eyes snap open, I’ve got the image in my head and I’m ready to start working, but I’ll need a complete shutdown of everything on the ship.

“Hey Mando, I need a favor, is it possible to completely shut off everything in the ship? Like no power, nothing, it powers nothing.” He nods heading up to the cockpit to fulfill my request. I hear the ship power down completely, I close my eyes, listening intently.  _ ‘Nothing’  _ I smile. “Thanks, Mando! I’ll get to work now.” I grab the rest of my tools and set to work. I redirect part of the heat pipes coming from the heat sinks, cutting a hole and soldering another pipe to go into the water filter, heating the water. I extend the pipes that were connected to the toilet, moving it back farther. It’s ending up to be a relatively easy modification. I take the flooring, cutting the corners inward, I bend them making a natural slope for water to drain effectively. It takes a few hours tops, but eventually there’s a nice working shower. It’s not perfect but it’ll do the job, at least until I can fine tune it further after some more research.

“Impressive.” I hear from behind. I turn around with a smile on my face.

“Easy peasy! Now we don’t have to go weeks without a shower!” I show him the way it works, it’s a normal shower but I have it so there’s an extra screen to keep the door from getting wet. I put some walls up around, sealing it in to keep moisture out of the rest of the ship. “I haven’t tested it yet, so I can’t tell you what the water pressure is, but trust me this’ll be a maker send in our travels.” I beam at him. 

“Karga was right,” a chuckle escapes through his modulator. “You  **are** a pretty impressive engineer.” I blush at his praise. 

“It’s not  **that** impressive, I promise.” I rub my forearm, avoiding eye/visor contact. “Anyways! Now that that’s done, we can leave any time!” A thought strikes me. “Hey wait, is there anywhere else on this ship that has extra space? Maybe I can make extra bunks so that-” Mando cuts me off.

“You’ve already done more than enough.” I nod silently.  _ ‘You haven’t slept in a bed since I’ve been on the ship though, you’ve been sleeping in the cockpit this whole time.’  _ I pout.  _ 'Well jokes on you I'm going to do it anyways….eventually.'  _ Mando and I did a last check of our stock, making sure we didn’t miss anything. Satisfied, Mando heads out and pays Peli. We say our farewells and we head off, exiting the atmosphere before jumping into hyperspace. We sit there in almost silence, the child babbling trying to keep himself occupied.

“So…” I break the silence. “Since there’s nothing exciting going on… why don’t  **you** ” I jab him on the pauldron. “take the maiden voyage of showers?” He sighs.

“I’ll take one later.” I huff in protest.

“I’m giving you the option of being the first to try out my masterpiece of a creation, and you’re  **rejecting** it? I’m offended…” I daintily place the back of my hand to my forehead, feigning faintness. “Oh dear me, how will I ever survive” a giggle escapes from the kid, I fall back into my chair, letting out a laboured and passionate sigh. A sigh of annoyance hisses through his modulator, giving me an obvious look. “Alright, alright, fine.” I raise my hands in defense. I stand up to leave the cockpit. “ **I’ll** go take one. Be back later!” I head down the ladder, and face the shower.  _ ‘It’s probably best that I test it out first anyways, what if I messed up and it’ll shoot off into space?’  _ I gulp, a little bit anxious at attempting to shower.  _ ‘I don’t have official training in plumbing, what if I flood the place?’ _ I shake my head, clearing my thoughts. I get undressed and set my clothes in a neat pile to the side of the door. Another thing to add to the list. I shut the door behind me, and then the screen. 

I shriek at the cold water that assaults my skin when I turn the faucet on.  _ ‘Please warm up fast, please warm up fast…’  _ I pray in my head over and over. I stick my hand out to feel the water, it warmed up at a nice pace, but I wonder if it’ll get any warmer. I dive under the soft stream of water, one more thing on the list. I don’t know how much water is in the tank so I need to be quick about this, I lather up and clean myself as best as I can.  _ ‘That was honestly refreshing, nice job me!’  _ I high five myself, then start squeezing out most of the water in my hair. I start looking for a towel, to finish off drying off, only to realize…  _ ‘Shit.’  _ There are no towels.  _ ‘Okay… okay. Let’s think this through, maybe shaking myself will work? It works for wookies…’  _ I shake my limbs, trying to get rid of as much excess moisture as possible so I won’t have soaking clothes. All I accomplish is a bit of an ache and a headache. 

“You alright in there?” I freeze. “You’ve been in there for a while, you didn’t get spaced, did you?”  _ ‘Was that a  _ **_joke_ ** _?’  _

“Haha. Very funny. The shower is in perfect working order, if I dare say so myself! There’s just…” I trail off.

“No towels?” a sound escapes his modulator, betraying his emotions.

“Are you  **laughing** at me?” I hear a tiny giggle from the other side. “Well I know at least  **one** person is laughing at me.” I pout, I continue trying to dry myself off with nothing.

“Us? No. Never. We’ll let you get dressed.” I wait for the sound of boots on the ladder to fade before escaping the shower and quickly getting dressed. Towels are  **definitely** on the list.


	3. Chapter 3

It’s been a week and a half since Nevarro and a couple days since Tatooine. My shower is holding up nicely and it has, like I said, been a Maker sent. I'll need to make adjustments to the pressure, it's not exactly to my liking but it does well. Even Mando has taken advantage of his new shower, despite not having any towels. I smirk with pride at the thought. ' _Stuffy old man wondering why we even need a shower… bath houses…'_ I scoff. Given there's really nothing else to do while he searches for a nice planet to hide out on for a while, we ended up talking to each other about various topics. Well… more accurately, I talk at him and he gives me passive responses. Regardless, I told him about my previous job, how that jerk fired me because of my genetics. I talk a bit about my family and friends growing up. I don’t mention too much, as I’ve already pretty much guessed what clan he’s with. He never takes his helmet off in front of others, _buir_ only ever mentions one clan that preferred the ancient ways of Mandalore. Death Watch. I don’t think he’d appreciate knowing about Mandalorians that frequently take their helmets off. He doesn’t tell me much other than previous bounty’s and the like, I try to ask questions but all I get is “This is the way” or grunts. The only real answer I’ve gotten is about his hatred for droids. His parents were killed by droids when he was a child. _‘I’d like to say I’m pretty sure we’re at least friendly acquaintances.’_ I’ve heard Mando talk more in a few weeks than the few months I’ve seen him on Nevarro. _‘Still needs to add more words to his vocabulary.’_ I laugh to myself as I look around the ship, checking out any problem areas I might need to fix at the next stop. _‘It seems pretty okay, despite the damage it went under on Arvala-7.’_ Mando gave me a small report of the condition of the ship as we decided where to go. He wanted someplace to relax for a while, stretch our legs and keep the Child safe. 

I decided to head down and do some inspections while he decided that.  _ ‘Besides, I’d be too distracted by the Child to really pay attention to what he’s saying. I wouldn’t be any help to him.’  _ I look around at the sidings and the different rivets and slides that all adorn the Razor.  _ ‘Mando and that Ugnaught didn’t do too bad of a job putting this girl back together.’  _ I reach the back towards the hatch and stand there quietly.  _ ‘Karga...poor Karga. I can’t believe he’s really gone.’  _ I lose myself in my thoughts when the Crest seems to be experiencing some turbulence. I quickly head up to the cockpit, I see Mando picking up the child, flicking a switch back off and placing him on his lap. I snorted, understanding just what went on while I wasn’t here. Mando’s helmet turns towards me.

“Sorry, I was just wondering what all the ruckus was about. I no longer wonder.” He sighs and turns back towards the screen. “Have you decided where we’re going?” I sit down on the seat behind him.

“Yeah, Sorgan.” He taps on his screen, highlighting the planet Sorgan. “There’s no star port, no industrial centers, no real population density.” I nod approvingly. “Real backwater skug hole.” I snicker.

“Which means perfect for us, yes?” He nods at me and turns to the Child. 

“Ready to lay low and stretch your legs for a few months, you little womp rat?” A coo of excitement comes from the baby. “Nobody’s gonna find us here.” I take the child as Mando prepares to enter the atmosphere, smoothly gliding across the planet as he searches for a nice, secluded area to land. I play with the child a little bit, cooing and giggling at me. Eventually, Mando lands and settles the Crest down for now. 

“Listen, I’m gonna go out there and take a look around, it shouldn’t take too long.” He looks at the child, “Stay with her, don’t touch anything. You understand? Great.” We both head out of the cockpit, I set the child in the bunk to try to deter it from going anywhere and I grab my bag of tools. I take a sweeping look around the Crest when I hear a sigh coming from the hatch and look over, a cute scene in front of me, this huge armored man with a very tiny child looking up at him. His shoulders seem to slightly sag in defeat, and he looks over at me. “Wanna come with us?”

I smile, brushing myself off. “Sure, I wouldn’t mind.” He nods and starts walking off, the Child toddling after him. I put my tools away and head after the both of them. I pick up the baby as I get closer, noticing he’s having some trouble keeping up, the ringing has started calming down now, I'm unsure of the reason.  _ 'Maybe it really was my water intake…'  _ I still haven't been able to get a hold of mom, I really miss her and  _ buir _ . The three of us head into the nearest town and to the local cantina for something to eat. 

The nice familiar atmosphere of a cantina welcomes us in as we walk through the doors. This place has a much homier feel than Nevarro but it’s definitely just as energized. Friendlier.  _ 'Just like home…'  _ The Child reaches for the ground and I gingerly set him down.  _ ‘It’ll be nice to stay here a while’  _ I think to myself as he waddles around, taking everything in. Such new wonderful sights, so many different people, the way the sunlight hits everything.  _ ‘Oh to be a child once again’  _ I smile wistfully. He spots a Loth-cat and walks towards it. I hesitate to immediately pick him up since I don’t want to baby him. The small feline takes notice, only to hiss at him angrily, startling the poor thing. He scampers off in the direction of Mando. My heart clenches,  _ ‘Aww poor thing’  _ I can’t help but laugh. I follow shortly behind, sitting down as Mando sets the child on a chair. He’s staring at someone at a different table, I take a small peek. A muscular woman is sitting there, by herself. She seems acutely aware of Mando, almost nervous. The bartender walks up to our table, asking if she can get us anything. 

“Bone broth, for these two.” Mando motions to me and the child. She smiles proudly.

“Well you’re in luck. I just took a Grinjer down earlier so I have plenty.” She sticks her hands in her apron, “Can I interest you in a porringer of broth as well?” Mando shakes his head.

“Just the two.” He’s staring in the direction of the mysterious lady, keeping an eye on her.

“Very well.” She tilts her head curiously as she turns to walk away.

“That one over there,” Mando indicates towards the woman sitting across the bar, she looks over to where he’s pointing. “When did she arrive?” The bartender wrings her hands in thought.

“I’ve seen her here...maybe for the last week or so?” She smiles, unsure where he’s going with this.

“What’s her business here?” The lady’s expression drops some, obviously in a bind.

“Business? Well there’s not much business in Sorgan, so I can’t really…” Mando flips her some credits. She laughs in surprise, catching it in her hands. “She doesn’t strike me as a log runner.. thank you sir! I will get you that broth as soon as possible, and I will even throw in a flagon of spotchka. I will be right back.” She hurries off to the bar to get our broth ready. Mando tenses looking towards the woman, who as I turn to look, I see is no longer there. 

“Watch the kid.” He says to me as he storms off.  _ ‘I wonder if he thinks she’s a bounty hunter. She didn’t really seem like one though…’ _ The bartender brings us our broth as I’m thinking.

“Thank you, miss!” I grab my cup and take a sip, it’s nice and hot as it goes down.  _ ‘Poor Mando is missing out, I wonder if I can get some to go for later…’ _ . “Careful, little guy, it might be a bit hot for y-” I look to where the child is, or at least was, noticing that he is not there anymore. I look around frantically, noticing a small being exiting the back door.  _ ‘Shit! He’s fast! Mando’s going to be pissed!’  _ I rush off after him, catching up to him right as I see him staring at Mando and the mysterious woman, on the ground, out of breath, pointing their blasters at each other. A long slurping sound can be heard coming from the child. I see Mando’s helmet tilt towards me and I mouth an apology.

“Want some soup?” Mando asks the woman. She nods with a laugh.

They both get up off the ground, she dusts off herself and extends a hand to Mando, giving him a firm handshake. "The name's Cara." She shakes my hand as well before we walk back to our table and she sits down across from Mando. "Sorry I went so hard at you, I figured there was a bounty on me." She murmurs thanks to the waitress who brings her a bowl of broth. She takes a sip before continuing. "Given by how hard you were going, I'd say you thought the same." Mando nods.

"Have to be careful these days." He says sternly.

"So, Cara, what brought you here to Sorgan?" I ask timidly, trying to change the topic of conversation.

"Oh you know, retirement." I inquire from what and She begins talking about her service as an ex-soldier, I remember hearing similar stories growing up from  _ buir _ so I’m intrigued. The child and I sip our broth silently, listening intently on their conversation.  _ ‘This broth is SO good’  _ I think to myself, basking in the warmth of this delicious broth. 

“They wanted it fast and quiet, they’d send us in on drop ships.” She states with, I think I hear malice? “No support, just us. When the Imps were gone, the politics started.”  _ ‘Yup, definitely malice. Politics are never good.’  _ I try to take a sip of my broth to reluctantly find that it’s gone. I furrow my brow slightly, sad at the revelation.  _ ‘Oh well…’  _ I glance at the child. He has a similar look on his face, staring at his bowl. I pet his tiny head.  _ ‘So cute…’  _ two more bowls of broth appear in front of us, the child's and my eyes immediately begin sparkling. A huff of a laugh escapes from Mando, I'm suddenly a bit more conscious and drink my broth with more manners. They continue to talk for a while longer, swapping stories and such. The baby and I slurp our broth heartily and happily.

“I remember stories my father would tell me growing up,” I chime in. Mando and Cara look at me with surprise. “My father served in… one of the wars” I don’t say too much, I don’t know who’s listening. “I grew up in a place pretty similar to this. Great place to keep away from officials.” I grimace out a smile. There’s a small moment of quiet. 

“Which brings me to a point that needs to be brought up, unless you wanna go another round,” She smiles at the both of us. “One of us is gonna have to move on.” She points at herself. “And I was here first.” Mando nods silently. Clearly troubled by the fact we have to find someplace else. 

“Well,” He nods at Cara, motioning for us to move along. “looks like this planet’s taken.” Him and Cara shake hands. Cara and I also shake hands, also sharing smiles. She pats the child’s head lightly and walks out of the cantina. We follow suit, back to the ship. 

“It’s too bad we have to leave… I know of another place we could go...” I look at Mando, who’s already a ways ahead of me.  _ ‘I guess that’s a no…’  _ I hurry up so he doesn’t leave me behind. As I approach the ship, I bring to mind the areas that need fixing up. I set the child down in the bunk and get to work, grabbing my bag. Mando’s already outside working on one of the legs. I’m buffing out some rough soldering when I hear an ‘excuse me’ from behind. I turn to look while Mando continues working.

“Excuse me, sir.” He continues working on the landing legs. I’ve halted my repairs for the time being, wanting to listen to what they have to say.

“There something I can help you with?”

“Uh, yeah. We’re having trouble with raiders.” The man wrings his hands anxiously.  _ ‘Even on such a peaceful planet like this… raiders are despicable.’ _ “We… We have money.”

“So you think I’m some kind of mercenary?” I roll my eyes  _ ‘Like you’re not?’ _

“You’re a Mandalorian, right? Or at least wearing Mandalorian armor.” He pauses. “That is Mandalorian armor, right?” Mando states that it is. “Sir, I’ve read a lot about your people… uh… well… Tribe.” Mando stops and looks at him. “If half of what I read is true-”

“We have money.” The other man interjects, flashing a bag of credits in his hand.

“How much?” I look at Mando,  _ ‘These guys are clearly desperate, are you really gonna…’ _

“Everything we have, sir. Our whole Harvest was stolen, we’re Krill farmers.”

“We brew spotchka!” He chimes in. “Our whole village chipped in…”

“It’s not enough.” It takes all I can to not audibly protest. 

“Mando…” I start to say when I’m interrupted.

“You don’t even know what the job is!” Mando finishes up his welding, cleaning up his tools and placing the shielding back. “This is everything we have. We’ll give you more after the next harvest!” The door opens as Mando heads towards it. I give him a look as he passes by me. I’m not sure he even saw it, if he was even looking. The two men look dejected.

“Come on… let’s head back.” I feel sorry for them. “Now we have to ride back, with no protection, to the middle of nowhere.” This obviously intrigued Mando as he headed out of the ship. 

“Where do you live?” One of the men looks at him in disbelief.

“On a farm. Weren’t you listening? We’re farmers.”

“In the middle of nowhere?” I think I see where he’s going with this. Cara was still looking for someplace more permanent to stay on this planet. They answer yes. “Do you have lodging?” They nod vigorously. 

“Good. Come up and help.” Both of the men smile, hurrying to help pack everything onto the cart. I put my bag on the ship and grab the child. We get everything packed and ready to go. “One more thing,” He turns towards the two men. “Give me those credits.” He grabs the bag and starts heading towards the town we just came from. I stay behind, making sure we have everything one last time. After about 20 minutes, Mando comes back with someone else in tow. 

“Oh, Cara! Are you gonna help too?” I ask her, tying down the last of the cargo. She nods, jingling the bag of credits from earlier. 

“I heard there’s living conditions one just can’t pass up around here.” She sits down on the cart, settling in for the ride. Mando and I, carrying the child, settle on the cart. I sit across from mando, holding the child on my lap. I find myself dozing off, the slight bumpiness the cart has is lulling me to sleep. As I drift further, I barely hear a modulated voice enter into my dreamscape.

“Go on and sleep, I’ll wake you when we get there.” 

It feels like no time has passed and I’m already being shaken awake. “Come on sleepy head, we’re already here!” Cara nudges me a few more times before I sit up and stretch. Mando and the child have already gotten off the cart. “Don’t worry we haven’t been here long, they were just itching to get off the cart.” She smiles and hops off. I hop off as well, stretching just a bit more. “So you and I are going to bunk during this job, hope that’s okay?” I nod, releasing one last yawn before I’m fully awake.

“That’s perfectly fine.” I give a nervous chuckle “I’m not sure how I’d handle sleeping in the same room as Mando anyways…”

“Don’t you already?” a blush creeps into my face. 

“Not… really… I sleep in his bunk while he either sleeps in the cockpit or not at all.” I give a huff of frustration. “I was trying to convince him to let me build another bunk but he won’t allow it. It’ll be nice for him to be able to actually sleep comfortably for once.” Mando walks over to us with the child in his arms.

“So you two will be in this hut,” He points to one near the middle of the village, “I’ll be staying in the one across from it, with the kid.” I nod as I grab the little stuff I had brought from the ship. “We’ll rest for a little bit and then Cara and I will scout the area.” A few of the children from the area come up to us, asking if they can play with the child. Mando hesitates, so I step in.

“I think that would be just fine,” I grab the kid from Mando and place him on the ground. He toddles after the kids with excited coos and laughter. I feel Mando staring at me, “It’s safe here, right? The kid’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll keep an eye on him, don’t worry.” He stares at me a while longer.

“Fine.” I can tell he’s only slightly less uncomfortable with the idea. I can tell he’s trying.

“You’re much too serious, Mando, you need to lighten up.” I pat him on the arm as I head to the hut to unpack my stuff. I walk into the little hut, charmed by the homely feeling it gives off.  _ ‘I really do wish we could have stayed here a while longer. It’s such a nice place.’  _ I hear Cara enter the room, she sets her little belongings on her cot. I set mine on the other. 

“This isn’t any of my business but is there something… going on between you two?” She smirks at me as my face turns red. I shake my head furiously.

“No! No of course not! I’m just his mechanic and babysitter.” I laugh nervously. “There’s nothing at all going on, that’d be highly inappropriate for an employee and employer to-” She laughs loudly.

“I’m just yanking your chain. Although with how your reaction is, I’d either be careful or just bull on through.” She jokes. My face burns as I pout.  _ ‘Just because I’m blushing doesn’t mean I like someone… even though I kinda do like Mando.’ _

I pause, thinking for a minute. “It’s just the mystery, y’know?” I cross my arms as I huff. “and his voice.” She nods in understanding. 

“I get it, just don’t get your hopes up. I know the type.” I nod as I head outside.

“I’m gonna go check on the kid, good luck with the scouting!” I head over to where I saw the kids playing earlier, to find the child swallowing a Sorgan frog. A chorus of ‘ews’ rings out amongst the children, shortly followed by laughter. I ask one of the locals if there’s anything I can help with, if anything needs repairs or anything, I get told to just relax and watch the children, I’m their guest and shouldn’t have to work. I converse with a woman, whose name I learn to be Omera, nearby, watching the children. Mando and Cara walk up to me, informing me they’ll be scouting around the area and will be back in an hour or two. I nod and bid them good luck, turning back to watch the children play.

* * *

I take one last glance at the kid, before I head out to the surrounding forests with Cara. I’ve already gotten the general area the raiders come from, heading passed the water fields. There’s a feeling I can’t shake and it makes me slightly uneasy.  _ ‘I’m afraid this job is going to be a lot more complicated than they let on.’  _ I enter the forest, looking around. As we walk further in the thermal imaging reveals partially fresh footprints, looking up I spot heat signatures on the surrounding trees. “There’s about 15 or 20 of them, they came through here on foot.” I point up at the trees. “Something big sheared those branches off.” We walk further in silence, following the footprints. The bad feeling gets worse, my pulse quickening. 

“Hey Mando, look at this.” Cara is squatting near a fairly large print in the ground. “We have an AT-ST on our hands.”  _ ‘Shit.’  _

* * *

I’m feeding the child and chatting with Omera when I hear a commotion towards the edge of town. I look and see Cara and Mando heading back from their scout. The way Mando’s walking and Cara’s expression, this isn’t good. I pick up the kid and head over. “What did you find out?” Mando and Cara stand in front of the barn. 

“Bad news,” Mando starts off with. “You can’t live here anymore.” Gasps and ‘whats’ and ‘whys’ break out through the crowd. Cara elbows him.

“Nice bedside manner.” She whispers to him.

“You think you can do better?”

“I can’t do any worse.” Cara clears her throat and addresses the people. “I know this is not the news you wanted to hear, but there are no other options.”

“But you took the job!” 

“Yeah. That was before we knew about the AT-ST” Cara sounds frustrated.  _ ‘An AT-ST… here?! How did it get here?’  _ Now not only do we have to deal with raiders, but a huge imperial walker has been added to the mix. This is just getting worse and worse.

“What is that?” 

“The armored walker with two enormous guns that YOU knew about and didn’t tell us.” Pleas and frustrated murmurs erupt from the crowd. 

“You’re supposed to help us. We hired you!” One person yells. “We have nowhere to go.” Another plea.

“Sure you do, this is a big planet. I mean, I’ve seen a lot smaller.” She’s trying to be courteous and has been breaking the news lightly. 

“My grandparents seeded these ponds, it took generations.” Omera pleads. 

“I truly understand. I do, but there are only two of us.” Caras frustration is starting to show. 

“What do you mean? There’s at least 20 of us here!” Cara scoffs at the suggestion.

“I mean fighters.” She doesn’t hold back her frustration now. “Be realistic. I’ve seen that thing take out entire companies of soldiers. None of you would stand a chance.” 

“We can learn! Please give us a chance!” Cheers are heard throughout the crowd, they are eager to keep their home. “We’re not leaving.” 

A modulated voice rises above the crowd. “Alright. Let’s get started.”


	4. Chapter 4

I stand next to Omera and the villagers, willing and able to do what I can to ward off this threat. Mando is standing to attention, Cara next to him as they begin laying down a game plan.

"You've got two problems here, you got the bandits," he holds up one finger, then another. " and you have the mech. We'll handle the AT-ST, but you gotta protect us when they come out of the woods." He looks over the crowd before he continues. "I don't have to tell you how dangerous they are." Mando gestures to Cara. " Cara Dune here was a veteran. She was a drop soldier for the Rebellion and she's gonna lay out a plan for you so listen carefully.” Cara steps up to address us. The villagers quiet down to listen intently, eager to defend their home and way of life.

“There's nothing on this planet that can damage the legs on this thing. So we're gonna build a trap. We need to dig real deep at the edge of these pools. When it steps in, it drops and we won’t have to worry about it anymore.” She points at the edge of one of the pools, and then beyond to the border of the village. I look in the direction she points, nodding to myself. “We’ll also need to cut down trees to build barricades along the edges. It needs to be high enough so they can’t get over and strong enough they can’t break through. After all of this is done, the two of us will hit their camp, provoking them. That'll bring the fight out of the woods and down here to us.” Mando steps up this time.

“Who knows how to shoot?” Omera and I both raise our hands. Everyone kicks into action, unloading Mando’s arsenal, chopping down trees and digging out the pools. Cara handles the melee combat, while Mando oversees ranged combat. He lines up those of us willing to use firearms in front of pots and pans hanging in front of us. I ready up, remembering what I have been taught from my _buir_ growing up. Proper stance, proper trigger discipline until I’m ready to shoot. I always preferred indirect combat, stealth over loud and crazy. I never liked guns much but I knew how necessary they were. I hear the command to fire and I shoot, straight and true. Years of training not failing me. I’m surprised to see Omera doing just as well as me. Mando pats us both on the back, “You two don’t need any instruction, why don’t you go help with other preparations?” We both nod heading over to the edge of the village. I look over where Cara is teaching her crew, who are working hard to listen and follow the routine well. Time flies and it’s about 5 in the afternoon when everything is finally finished. People are relaxing, buzzing with excitement before everything goes down. I’m sitting down by a fire with Omera and the child in my lap when Mando and Cara come up to us.

Days pass, perfecting our strikes and finishing the trenches. The day is finally here. “The sun is setting soon and we’re about to leave.” Cara speaks up first. I nod, turning to Mando.

“When we return, we’ll be coming in hot. I want you all prepared before then. This will only work if we’re all on the offense.” Both Omera and I nod, rising to get everyone into positions. 

“We’ll be ready.” Omera and I turn, getting the rest of the villagers armed and into our predetermined areas. The children are all hustled into a hut, keeping them safe and out of harm's way. Cara and Mando head towards the forest once again. There’s a hush throughout the village. The nervous excitement brimming to the surface. I check on the child one last time before heading to my post. I pick him up and give him a hug. “Stay here little one, you’ll be safe, alright? Mando will return and everything will be fine.” I put him back down. “All of you stay safe, okay? Stay here out of sight.” I stand up and leave the hut, closing the door behind me. I take my place across the way from Omera, I signal to my group to keep their heads down, I keep my eyes on the forest waiting for a sign. It feels like time has stood still, just waiting, watching, for anything to happen. A distant explosion piques my interest, I listen intently for any other sound, scanning the edge of the forest. Mando and Cara emerge from the mist of the forest, quickly taking cover by me, breathing heavily.

“This is it!” Cara yells. “Once that thing steps in the pond, it’s going down!” She turns around towards where the AT-ST is coming. “Weapon ready!” She roars. There’s quiet after the rustling and clanking of people raising their weapons. A distant thudding quickly grows louder, indicating the AT-ST is closing in fast. It breaks through the tree line, birds fly off into the distance. It charges towards us, seemingly falling for our trap. The mech hesitates just before the bank. “It stopped…” Cara whispers unsure of what’s going on. It stands there, scanning the village, before a blinding light blinks on.

“Get down!” Mando whispers loudly, “Get down!” We all duck, dodging the search light. The suspense is deafening and stressful. The mech fires on a few of the huts, thankfully missing the hut with the children. Cara screams to hold our positions. A hoard of Klatooinians comes charging from the forest, in between the AT-ST’s legs towards the village. Everyone opens fire as Cara gives us the command. Most of the hoard is mowed down with gun fire but some get passed and the melee picks off the rest. Unfortunately the AT-ST is still just standing there, menacingly. “We gotta get that thing to step forward.”

“I’m thinking…” Cara shoots a few Klatooinians. Her head snaps towards Mando, “New plan. Give me your pulse rifle.” Mando hands it over, saying he’ll cover her. Cara rushes towards the mech, jumping into cover in the pond. She shoots at the mech, and it steps forward but doesn’t go any farther.  _ ‘That damn AT-ST, take the bait already, just step forward!’  _ I scream in my head. Despite my mental words, it does nothing. Cara manages to get a shot at one of the cockpit windows, causing the AT-ST to step forward, falling down hard into the pond, disabling it. It can no longer do any more damage. Mando rushes forward, activating a charge, throwing it into the cockpit before taking cover next to Cara. The charge goes off, exploding the mech. The remaining Klatoonians flee into the forest, hopefully thinking twice next time they want to raid this village. There’s a small moment of quiet before we all start to cheer in relief. 

“We did it! We saved the village!” I say excitedly, hugging Omera before we both run to the hut with the children. They’re already out and about hugging parents and friends. I find the baby and pick him up. “We did it, little guy!” He coos happily throwing his little arms up in the air. His ears perk and he looks over my shoulder, reaching towards whoever is behind me. I turn to see Mando walking up. I hand the child over to him, “I think someone missed you” I smile at him. Mando takes him and stares at him a while, clearly thinking about something. 

“It’s been a long day, let’s all get some shut eye.” Mando heads towards his hut. I look at Cara with confusion. She shrugs and we head to our bunks as well. I say goodnight to Omera and Winta and everyone else. I yawn as I lay down in my cot, pulling my blanket over me. I stare at the ceiling, the excitement of tonight starting to wear off as my eyelids grow heavy. I blink my eyes and it’s bright outside. Confused I sit up, there’s chatter outside and Cara is gone.  _ ‘Well this fucking sucks. It felt like I didn’t sleep at all.’ _ I stretch, trying to get my blood flowing. I head outside and see Cara right outside the door. 

“Good morning, sunshine!” I grunt at her as she laughs. “I’m guessing you didn’t sleep well?” I shake my head as she pats my shoulder. She mentions that Mando’s been meaning to discuss something with me and to come find him when I woke up. I thank Cara and look around the village looking for Mando. I spot him and approach him.

“I heard you needed to talk to me about something?” I wave at Omera standing with us. He nods solemnly. 

“It’s about the kid. I’m…” He hesitates. “I’m going to leave him here.” My eyes widen slightly at the news. I open my mouth to protest when he continues, “I… It’s too dangerous to bring a child around, doing what I do. He’s happy here. He’ll be better off here.” He says it like he’s still trying to convince himself.

“Are you sure about this?” I look over at the child, playing with the other children, blissfully unaware of the conversation currently being had about him. My heart breaks at the thought of already having to leave him. Mando says nothing, staring at him as well. Omera smiles wryly at us, unsure of what to say to make the situation easier. I knew she would raise him as her own. I knew he would be safe but… 

A shot rings out.

Mando springs into action, rushing towards where the sound came from. “Get the children inside!” He yells at me. I’m already rushing towards the child, grabbing him and then proceeding to hurry the other children inside of a hut nearby. 

* * *

I run as fast as I can into the woods, heart racing, furious. He was safe, denk ferrik! SAFE! I spot Cara and rush over to her. There’s a figure lying on the ground in front of her, still smoking from her blaster shot.  _ ‘So the shot was her, thank the maker.’  _ There’s a beeping as I kick the body over, spotting a tracker. I crush that one in anger. I continue to hear the beeping. Cara and I look at each other. I search for the other tracker. I slowly stand, staring at the tracker in disbelief. A small holo appears of Natikas likeness. She never mentioned this. I search the bag again, looking for anything else. I find a puck, with more information. I toss it to Cara not wanting to hold it anymore as I crush the second tracker. 

“Well, well, well. You’ve got not just one wanted person, but two.” She says in a joking manner, still not sure how to handle this knowledge. 

“I guess I need to have a little chat with her.” I sigh, heading back to the village questions swarm in my mind.  _ ‘She never mentioned this. Did she think I would turn her in? Does she even know about this??’  _ I ask a nearby villager where you are when I get back. They point me in the right direction and I hurry off. Cara, who was close behind, explains to the villager that everything is under control. I barged into the hut the kid and I stayed in to find you sitting on the floor coddling him, trying to keep him calm. You look towards me, startled from the loud noise. You have a concerned look on your face. 

“What happened, are you-” You start to say before I interrupt you. I toss the puck in your direction.

“What’s this?”

* * *

I look at the puck Mando just threw at me. I pick it up, turning it on, only to drop it in surprise when I see my own face. I pick it up again to read the information on it.  _ ‘Wanted…. Wanted for association with wanted criminals of the empire?! Are they still looking for mom and  _ buir _?!’  _ My heart races in my chest, nearly bursting. I look at Mando with tears in my eyes.

“Where did you get this?” I choke out. He states he found it with the sniper that Cara shot. “Did you see what the sniper looked like?” He shakes his head sharply. I stand up slowly. “Listen, I just want to say, I had no idea that I had a bounty out for me, okay?” He stares at me, not moving a muscle. “My mother and father were, well ARE wanted, for their involvement in the Great Purge. Plus their involvement in the clone wars…" I stare at the puck in disbelief. “It’s been so long I figured they just quit actively searching.” We stand there in silence. The child coos nervously. “You won’t… take me in will you?” I chuckle nervously, it’s obviously a dumb question, but I can’t help but be a bit nervous. He gives off a deep sigh.

“No, of course not. Why wouldn’t you just tell me about that fact? I wouldn’t have been so aggressive. I have to ensure the child’s safety, so… It would’ve been nice to know so that if I did come across this kind of thing, I wouldn’t automatically assume the worst.” I avoided his gaze, ashamed I didn’t realize that kind of thing sooner. Of course he’d be concerned, the child needs to be protected and he doesn’t know me completely and so I’m not 100% trustworthy to him.

“The last time I talked about my family in depth, I got kicked off my employer's ship. Course he IS Chiss, they’re kinda xenophobic.” I laugh dryly. A thought dawns on me.  _ ‘I need to inform mom that they’re still chasing them…but how do I do that without giving away their position…’ _ I look at the puck,  _ ‘are there ones for them too? What about Uncle Ty?’  _ a million thoughts race through my mind. The ringing in my head starts again, funny how you don't notice things are gone until they come back. I hold my head tightly, trying to stop the ringing. 

Cara walks in, seeing my state she shoves Mando. "What'd you do to her?" The visor snaps to her, his body tense, naturally easing into fight mode.

"He didn't do anything unnecessary, I would've reacted similarly," a weak smile appears on my face. "I'm just shocked at the news of me being a bounty. I'm worried for my family." I mutter. I stand up, child in arms. "We need to pack up and leave, it's no longer safe for either of us." Mando and Cara nod. I mention that I have a call to make and leave the hut, heading to the one I shared with Cara. I set the child on my cot and dig around my bag for my holophone. Grabbing it, I quickly dial mom. I wipe the stray tears that escaped from my face. The phone rings for a while, before finally, someone picks up.

"Nat! You called!" My cousin picks up. 

"Huh? Why did you pick up mom's phone?" It's impossible to hide my confusion.

"We just happened to be over at your house and aunt Saoli is cooking dinner right now." I smile,  _ 'I wish I could eat some of mom's cooking…'  _ "So what makes you call?"

"Can you get mom or  _ buir _ ? I need to speak with them urgently." I stress urgently and he nods. He disappears from the holo, chatter ensues in the background. Eventually  _ buir's  _ face appears. My breath hitches. ' _ I know I said  _ buir  _ but I don't know if I can talk to him right now without breaking down…' _

"...Natika?" I snap my head up. He rarely calls my name. "Didn't mean to startle you, you weren't answering me." 

"Oh… sorry  _ buir _ . I was lost in thought." I brush a strand of hair out of my face.

"What is wrong  _ verd'ika _ ?" He knows somethings wrong, and hearing the concern in his voice is enough to send me over. I start to cry. "Woah, woah,  _ verd'ika, _ what happened? Why are you crying?" Suddenly mom's in the picture too, concerned at the mention of crying.

"They're… they're after you all again…" I choke out between sobs. "I'm being hunted because... I'm the only one who really knows where you guys are…" I rub my eyes harshly, a small hand touches my arm. "I don't know what to do  _ buir… _ I'm scared…" there's silence from the other side of the holo as they discuss. A third enters the discussion, who I can only guess is Uncle Ty. 

"Natika, what about Greef? I thought he could keep these kinds of things out of circulation?" Mom questions. I freeze, unsure of what to say. 

"I don't think Karga has control of all the guilds in the Outer Rim, Saoli." Ty pipes up, making a good point.

"But he usually suggests that those kinds of things should just go missing…"  _ buir _ grumbles. "Either someone  **really** wants us… or something happened to Karga." I gulp, unsure of how to break the news. I open my mouth to deliver the news when Mando walks in.

"Nat. We need to get going." My shoulders slump, regretful to already have to leave.

"I'm sorry mom,  _ buir _ , Uncle Ty. I have to get going now, this planet isn't safe anymore. I'll try to contact you again. I love you all." I close the holo, wiping away the rest of the tears on my face. I stand up, finishing up my packing and face Mando, child in my arms. I nod to Mando and he nods back at me, we head out to the land cruiser that brought us here so many days ago. It's packed full with gifts and supplies courtesy of the people here. My eyes well up with tears again and I hug Omera and Winta one last time. We exchange goodbyes, Winta pats the child goodbye as well. We sit on the cruiser and we make our way back to the Crest, back again on our adventure.

We reach the Razor Crest at dusk, the sun nearly completely set. We pack everything from the cruiser, the both of us completely silent. I’m still trying to process everything, wondering how to deal with the situation. I can only assume Mando is letting me figure things out. The child toddles around, keeping out of our way. We finally finish packing everything and I send off the droid in the cruiser, it beeps before making its way back to the village. I pick up the kid and bring him into the ship, closing the ramp behind me, Mando already in the cockpit, powering everything up. I set the child in a seat and then take mine.  _ ‘I wish I knew the kids name, it’s awkward always referring to him as the child or kid…if he even  _ **_has_ ** _ a name’  _ I’m lost in thought when Mando turns to me after putting us into hyperdrive. He waits there for a while, waiting for me to look back at him. I look at him lazily, numb after the long day I’ve had. I strain to keep the racing thoughts out of my head, pushing them to the subconscious, to deal with them later.

“Why are you staring at me?” I finally speak up, sitting up straighter in my seat. 

“I feel like since I’ve taken you on my personal ship, I deserve to know why you are being hunted. I won’t turn you in, I’m not on good terms with the guild, but I need to know I can trust you fully.” Mando’s voice is almost cold as he speaks to me. 

“Like I told you, I didn’t know I had a bounty on me, and they only want my parents, not me, I just happen to be one of the only people who know where they are.” I grimace out a smile, shrugging my shoulders. Mando lets out a deep sigh, signaling he doesn't have a lot of patience. “My parents were involved in the Clone Wars and then also helped out during the Great Purge.” He stiffens. “Which I know is why you want to know so badly. You want to know which side my family was on, right? You wonder if my family fought for Mandalore, or the Empire?” I grin as I stand, I can feel my blood begin to boil, knowing his clan didn't help at all during the purge. “I’m tired and I'm frustrated. I'm going to take a nap, and then I'll tell you. Am I allowed that much at least? We're all being hunted now. We've all had a rough day, we all need to get some rest. I'd rather have a level headed conversation about this, because this is a touchy subject for  **both** of us." Mando nods and my face loses the grin I had as I head out of the cockpit, down the ladder to the cargo area. Exhausted I collapsed into the bunk, almost immediately falling asleep.

Alarms and the movement of the ship shake me from my dreamless sleep. I shoot out of the bunk racing up to the cockpit to figure out what’s going on. A guild member has found us and is trying to shoot us down. Mando is pushing the limits of the Crest, avoiding the pursuit. I quickly buckle in the kid and myself, knowing we’re in for a bumpy ride. A voice comes over the comms.

“Give it up Mando!” The pursuing starship continues its barrage of laser fire, he strikes one of the engines. Mando shows no sign of slowing down. “I can bring you in warm…” Mando tenses. “Or I can bring you in cold.” Mando extends the manual air brakes, activating reverse thrusters, causing the kid and I to jerk forward, thankful I buckled us both in. The bounty hunter skied across the top of us, shooting ahead of us, not realizing what he had wrought. Mando activates his turrets, calculating his aim towards the starfighter.

His low, grumbly voice hissed through the comms. “That’s my line.” The targeter beeps rapidly, securing it’s target. Mando fires on the ship in front of us relentlessly, causing it to explode. We all relax, thankful for the fight to be over. I look over at the kid, making sure he’s okay. His ears are drooped slightly, he coos with concern. I unbuckle him and scoop him up into my arms. I rub his back, trying to console him, attempting to settle him down, saying it’s all over. It seems to work as he relaxes, drifting off to sleep.

“Well that was exciting,” I mutter to not wake the child. “You okay? How’s the ship?”

“The ship needs repairs, Tatooine is nearby thankfully, we should head back there. The Empire is pretty scarce here if not completely nonexistent. No official Guild, so no one will be coming after us, hopefully anyways. Plus I need to get some credits if we’re going to fix up this ship.” I wait for him to bring up any conversation as I’d rather push it off to a later time. Mando contacts the tower, requesting permission to dock. They grant us and tell us to dock at a familiar bay. The kid perks his ears, cooing happily. No doubt he remembers Peli. Mando confirms the relay and brings us down to Mos Eisley, landing in docking bay 3-5.


	5. Chapter 5

The child and I walk down the ramp as it lowers, Peli already out and ready to greet us. The kid toddles over to Peli, screeching with glee. She picks him up, greeting him. “Hey Peli! Remember, no droids!” She nods, shooing her droids away. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the both of you were just in a fire fight.” She comments, motioning to the dark blaster spots all over the hull, and the smoking engine. I laugh.

“What? Us? No way.” We both laugh as Mando exits the ship. “Just a little target practice.” I hear a grumble escape from Mando as he walks past. “Obviously, we’re here for repairs and a refueling. Mando’s on his way to look for some work.” She nods, accepting the explanation. 

“Hopefully I’ll be back with good news.” I nod and wave as Mando leaves the bay.

Peli and I get to work on the ship, I have the child in a sling on my back, Peli let me borrow an extra set of goggles that I put on him for protection. The ringing in my head starts again as I work on the ship, it mixes with the other ringing, making a less than perfect harmony.  _ ‘I wonder if it really is the kid…’ _ I try to glance back to see what the kid is doing, out of the corner of my eye I see him staring at my work, cooing happily.  _ ‘Didn’t Mando say he is able to do some weird stuff? I wonder what that means…’ _ I shake my head, returning to work, trying to ignore the ringing. Mando comes back in the middle of our work, showing us the temp partner he has, Toro Calican, saying he got a job and will be back in a day or so. I give him a thumbs up and return to work. We spend the rest of the day repairing the Crest. It’s evening when we decide to call it quits for the day. 

“Weren’t you guys just here about a week or two ago?” Peli asks, taking a bite of her dinner. I nod in affirmation, chewing my dinner slowly. I feed a bite of food to the child, he munches happily. 

“We found a job on another planet and it took a while, but then it became unsafe for us. The ship was damaged along the way and Tatooine was the closest. I can’t say much more than that, I’m sorry.” Peli nods, saying she understands. She brings up the shower and we talk about that for a while. I bring up that I’m thinking about creating a new bunk area so that Mando can also sleep comfortably. Peli and I check out the Crest, looking for any unused space that could be made into a bunk. 

"I have no idea how you plan on doing this, this damn thing is so tiny, how do you fit in here anyways?" I shrug. 

"Mando's been sleeping in the cockpit while the kid and I sleep in his bunk. I felt guilty about it so I wanted to fix it for his sake. I owe him a lot, he took me on as a mechanic in exchange for travel and not getting stir crazy." I chuckle. "I also typically babysit the kid, but that's just cause I've babysat before." 

"You might be better off just getting a new ship, this is insane." I shrug.

"I do have my own ship, but it might be too dangerous to get it right now." I mutter, I'd be endangering everyone at home if we came there. 

"Oh yeah? How'd you get it?" I smile, memories flooding in. My 16th birthday, mom and  _ buir _ took me to a local junk shipyard.  _ ‘Anything on the lot’ _ I had saved up for so long for that moment.

"I bought a junker and fixed it up myself, alongside my mom. I learned everything I know from her. It's a pretty nice ship, it's pre-empire as well. It's a YT-1300f, it's similar to the infamous Millenium Falcon, but obviously it's not. It’s the reason I got it, always hearing stories about Han Solo and Chewbacca, a 16 year old has very little to think about." I laugh. "I found it at a junkyard when I was younger and fixed it up. My ‘right of passage’.” I punctuate with air quotes. I hear a yawn coming from the child, causing me to yawn as well.

“I think it’s about time we all hit the hay, huh?” Peli laughs as she gets up. “It’s been a busy day.” I nod, picking up the kid. I wave to Peli goodnight and head to the ship, wearily walking up to the bunk. I place the kid into the hammock hanging above the bed and then lay down. I drift off to sleep, thinking of home. 

* * *

The suns are finally set, we should get going, as I said, but it’s too much fun watching this kid make an ass of himself.  _ ‘What’s he even doing? Talking to himself? Flipping that blaster around? He’s not going to last very long.’  _

“All right, Mando, suns are set, time to get up.” I keep still, wondering what he’ll do, wondering what more he can do to make a complete fool of himself. He comes up to me, and squats. “C’mon, wake up.” He chuckles. “an old man asleep on the job.” He stands up, walks a few paces and then draws his blaster, making a quick turn towards me.  _ ‘What a child.’ _

“You done?” He almost drops the blaster and clears his throat. I clearly caught him off guard.

“Uh, yeah.” He puts his blaster away. “I was just uh… waking you up. Y’know.” I shake my head. I stand up, shaking the stiffness from my joints.

“How come my mechanic is more intimidating than you?” Either he didn’t hear me or he decided to not answer. “Here,” I toss him a few flash charges. “This is my plan.” He juggles them in his hand, confused. “We’re going to ride towards the ridge as fast as these bikes will take us, and while doing that, we’ll alternate shots of these.” I hold one up. “The flash will blind her and keep her distracted a few seconds at a time. If we do this right, we have a chance.” Toro nods, impressed with my plan, but double takes.

“A chance?” Clearly he is way in over his head. 

“This woman is an elite sniper, she has the high ground, and we have  **no** cover. We’ll be lucky if we make it to the ridge. It’s because of me that you’ve made it this far. Without me you’d already be dead because you’re just some punk that thinks he’s indestructible.” I sit on my bike, starting it up. “Now let’s get going and hope we make it out of this.” Toro mounts his speeder and we take off. We speed across the great Dune Sea, I shoot off my flash charge, willing the bike to go faster. I wait a few seconds before yelling at Toro to fire. His charge misfires and skids on the ground before going off.  _ ‘Better than nothing…’ _ I think to myself as my speeder gets shot from underneath me. I crash, rolling forward before stopping. Toro continues on. I shoot my last flash charge, hoping Toro can use those precious seconds to get the rest of the way. Fennec shoots me in my breastplate, staggering me back on to the sand. I’m disoriented, hurting from the shot, my beskar saved me from death but it still hurts like hell. I get back up, thankful and somewhat confused as to why I’m able to do so.  _ ‘Toro must have reached her, I should hurry up.’  _ I make my way to the top of the ridge as fast as I can, I start to hear a commotion, realizing that they’re fighting each other.  _ ‘Impressive he can last this long.’  _ I finally make it to the top, seeing that Fennec has the upper hand, pinning Toro to the ground. 

“Nice distraction.” I draw my blaster, Fennec let’s go of Toro, keeping her hands up. Toro groans in pain as he struggles to stand up. I toss some handcuffs to Fennec, ordering her to cuff herself. “Go find your blaster.” He nods and limps off to his blaster. 

“A Mandalorian, huh? Been a while since I’ve seen one of those.” Fennec smirks as she cuffs herself. “Ever been to Nevarro? I heard from someone that things didn’t go so well… although you seem to be doing just fine.” Toro walks up to her, holstering his blaster.

“You don’t have to worry about Nevarro or anyplace else, once we turn you in.” He crouches, smirking at her. “I really should thank you, you’re my ticket into the guild.” He stands, walking off.

“You’re welcome.” I huff a laugh at the statement, dripping with sarcasm. The three of us made our way back down the ridge, it was a bit rough but we made it. Once we got down to the sands, we realized that there was only one speeder left. I push Fennec on her knees, after her comment of someone has to walk.

“We  **could** just drag you, they said alive, not in peak condition.” She sneers at me and I just ignore her. “Toro why don’t you go and grab that Dewback we saw earlier. I’ll stay here with Fennec and then we can all ride back.”

“You? Alone? With  **my** bounty? Nuh-uh I’m not that dumb, mando.” I sigh. He crosses his arms, “You do it.” He can’t see it but I’m glaring daggers at him.  _ ‘Such a childish brat, the child is more mature than he is.’  _ I shake my head, annoyed. I scan the surrounding area, hoping I can see the Dewback from here. A heat source registers on my visor and I can only assume that’s the Dewback. 

“Fine, stay here. I’ll be back with the Dewback. Keep an eye on her, don’t let her get close to the bike.” I stare at Fennec. “She’s no good to us dead.” I head off towards the direction of the Dewback. I can only hope that when I come back, neither one of them is dead. Without the assistance of a speeder, and the irritating qualities of sand, it takes me a few hours to reach the Dewback. This is going to be a pain in the ass to clean my armor.  _ ‘Maker I hate sand, it’s rough and it gets  _ **_everywhere_ ** _.’  _ It takes hours whenever I visit a sandy planet to get all the sand out of my armor. Especially with so many people around. I wonder how that shower of hers will take sand. I guess it just goes all in the water tank, but it doesn’t evaporate, does it? I don’t think it does. Stars this heat is unbearable with this armor. I wonder if there’s some kind of thing that will allow me to drink while wearing my helmet? I’m sure Nat can think of something. I finally reached the Dewback, thankfully it still has it’s saddle on. I hoist myself up and take my place on the back of the creature. I then make the arduous trip back to Toro and Fennec. Hopefully they’re both there and  **alive** . I arrived in a shorter time than it took to get to the Dewback, only to have my hunch realized. Fennec is laying there, dead.  _ ‘She knew about Nevarro, I wonder…’  _ I hightail it back to Mos Eisley, hopefully no one else gets hurt.

* * *

Little hands and coos wake me up from my deep sleep. I blink awake, smiling at the kid. 

“Good morning little womp rat.” I sit up. “You must be hungry, right?” I get a coo of affirmation. “Alright, let’s find you something to eat.” I get out of the bunk and search through our provisions, one for him and one for me. I prepare the kids and give it to him. “Eat up little guy.”  _ ‘I wonder if Mando will be back today, he did say a day or two…’  _ We finish our breakfast and I head out to find Peli. 

“Good morning, Nat! Sleep well?” Peli’s already started working on the Crest. “I would’ve waited but it’s darn near midday, so I decided to start by myself.”

“I’m sorry about that, I guess I really needed the sleep.” She smiles saying that’s why she didn’t wake me. I grab my tools and start my work beside her. The child toddles around, checking out everything, the droids included. A few hours later, Peli and I put the finishing touches on our handy work when I hear the door open and slam shut. 

“Mando, you’re finally-” I turn around to greet him only to see Toro. Alone. “Where’s… Where’s Mando?” I question him, keeping myself on guard. Toro smirks at me, sauntering in. 

“Oh Mando’s fine, he’s probably just found our quarry dead in the Dune Sea. Heading back now.” He comes up to me, “I learned from our quarry, before I figured I had no use for her, that a Mandalorian, escaped from Nevarro after breaking guild rules, leaving with not just one,” he grabs my chin, admiring the fear in my eyes. “But two, quarries. A child, and a half Chiss.” I push him away, and grab the child.

“You can’t do anything to us. You’ll never take us.” I aim my blaster at him. “Mando will get here, he’ll kill your ass and we’ll be on our way.” 

“You wouldn’t want our friend here to get caught in the crossfire, would you?” He has his gun trained on Peli, I may be fast but he could shoot her first or at the same time…  _ ‘What do I do… Mando please hurry…’  _ “Put the blaster down, and she’ll go unharmed.” I drop the blaster, not wanting to get Peli hurt. I hold the child with a tighter grip. 

“So what are you going to do, huh? You think turning mando in is going to make you some big name?” I bark at him. He motions for me to sit down, he grabs Peli and keeps her at gunpoint, keeping me in line.

“We’re going to wait here, for Mando. When he comes back, I’ll shoot him dead, and then we’ll all go back to Nevarro, and I’ll be the biggest name in the business.” He smirks, all high and mighty.  _ ‘He thinks it’s so easy, huh. I’d like to call him a rookie, but he’s able to keep a hold on us.’ _ I pet the child’s head, trying to keep both of us calm, the ringing started and I’ve started to assume it’s the child that’s helping it, for whatever reason. The ringing is starting to become like a feedback loop, louder and stronger. The child’s whines grow louder.

“Please… calm down…” I weakly say. I feel like I’m going to pass out… I let go of the kid to cradle my head. The pressure in my head continues to build, the ringing becoming even louder. The pain is so excruciating I start crying, sobbing for the ringing to stop. 

“Hey… what’s wrong with her?”

“I… I don’t know…” 

“Stop… stop.. stop stop stop STOP!” I scream at the top of my lungs. Something pops and my vision goes dark and I topple over, crashing into the debris around Peli’s hanger. Peli tries to dash to me to help but is held back by Toro. 

“She needs medical attention!” 

“And she’ll  **get it** . Later! Nothing is happening until I have Mando.” I slowly drift off, into some sort of dream state. I see my Uncle Ty, just sitting there. Is he meditating?

_ ‘Uncle Ty?’ _

_ ‘Oh hey Natika.’ _

_ ‘What’s… going on? How am I seeing you? Am I dead?’ Ty chuckles. _

_ ‘I’m pretty sure you’re not, but I’m not sure what’s going on entirely either. You’re speaking to me during one of my meditation exercises, from wherever you are. You’ve never done this before. What’s going on where you are?’  _

_ ‘Well...I was on Tatooine, my employer, Mando, was on a job… something went wrong and the guy he was helping took us hostage… or tried to anyways. The ringing started again but it was way more intense than usual and I think I passed out? The kid was upset and I think that’s why it started being more intense.’ _

_ ‘Wait, ringing? A child?’  _

_ ‘Yeah, I usually only hear it when I’m working on something, but it’s a pleasant ringing. Ever since this kid came along it’s been worse and has been inducing headaches. I think he’s like you, uncle Ty. I haven’t seen it myself, but Mando says he was able to lift up a mudhorn without touching it.’ Ty has this dumbfounded look on his face. _

_ ‘I can’t believe this. I can’t believe I hadn’t put the pieces together so much sooner than this, Nat.’ _

_ ‘What’s that, uncle Ty?’ _

_ ‘You’re force sensitive. I had my suspicions early on, but I never really put two and two together.’ _

_ ‘Wait what? I’m force sensitive?!’  _

_ ‘The ringing, the miraculous way you handle machinery, how you’re even speaking to me at this time, it all makes sense now. What with your parents being force sensitive, it only makes sense that a child would also be force sensitive.’ _

_ ‘Wait, parents? Like both? I thought only mom was force sensitive?You’re telling me that  _ buir  _ is also force sensitive?!’ _

_ ‘Yes, but enough of that now, I sense something happening in your location, it would be best, no, it’s imperative for us to continue this talk in person.’ _

_ ‘But uncle Ty, I can’t come to you without guiding the empire to you all… I’d be putting you in danger. Let us find a way to get rid of that danger and then I’ll come home.’ _

_ ‘Alright, Natika, if you insist. You know we’re all very well capable of defending ourselves, right? Anyways, it was nice chatting with you, I’ll tell your parents and Dealeto you say hi.’ _

_ ‘Thanks, uncle Ty.’  _ My uncle disappears from sight and my hearing focuses on my immediate surroundings. Has Mando returned?

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?” A booming voice erupts around me, causing me to wince in pain,  _ ‘okay, too soon for loud noises…’  _ going by his reaction I must not look too good right now. 

“I-I swear I didn’t do anything…” Toro stutters. Heavy boots rush passed me, I heard a click. “Stay back! I’ll shoot this woman!” I hear a buzzing sound, which could only be his grapple. I struggle to open my eyes, the light is blinding but I can make out Mando grabbing Toro’s gun, rendering his threat useless. Peli moves over to me, moving all the debris aside, placing my head on her lap. 

“Hey, girl, wake up, wake up honey.” She pets my head, I groan and the sudden movement and stimuli. 

“I oughta  **kill** you for the shit you pulled back there,  **killing** the quarry? You out of your damn mind?”   
Mando grips the collar of his shirt. “Given as Natika is still alive, I’ll let you live, but if I  **ever** cross paths with you again, you better believe you won’t make it out alive.” He shoves Toro back, causing him to trip over the scraps. Toro scrambles up and starts to run out of the hangar. “Hey wait, before you go,” Mando holds his hand out, motioning for him to come back. “Credits. All that you have.” Toro reluctantly gives up all the credits he has and then leaves the hangar. “How is Nat?”

“She doesn’t seem to be bleeding too much or anything, which is surprising.” Peli pets my head again. “It was bizarre, she was holding her head, screaming for something to stop and then she just passed out.”

“Her headaches?”

“Yeah I guess so, it was a pretty bad one though.”

“She said the medical droid didn’t find anything.” I manage to croak out an answer.

“It didn’t…this is… not physical… I need to go… home… but…”

“But you can’t because of the empire…” Mando says quietly.

“Do you need anything, hun? Some water?” Peli asks me. I nod, mumbling water. Mando rushes off to grab a pack. He hands me one and I take a sip. I mutter a thank you. I slowly sit up, taking another sip of water. Little hands are rested on my thigh, a concerned child is looking up at me. I pat him on the head.

“You’re okay, little one, it’s not your fault.” Well.. it kinda is. Not really though. His ears droop, he can probably hear my thoughts or feel my emotions… ugh.  _ ‘Maker this means I have to be really careful about how I think. Damn even my thoughts aren’t safe.’  _ I hear a snort coming from the child. I sigh.

“So what happened?” Mando asks.

“Well… the ringing I’ve been having? In my head?” He nods. “Turns out I’m uh.. force sensitive. I had a chat with my uncle. Through the force, apparently.” Peli and Mando share a confused look. “I’m like the kid. Just… different. I can’t pick things up, or at least I don’t think I can. I honestly haven’t tried.”

“Well you’re just full of surprises, ain’t ya.” Peli helps me to stand up. “I have a feeling that that brat might try to come back and make trouble, so you three should probably be on your way to your next destination.” Mando nods, taking over holding me up. “Good luck you three, I hope things turn out your way, if you ever need a hangar, I’ll be here! Oh but not without any creds,” She clears her throat, extending her hand towards Mando. He places the coin he got from Toro into her palm.

“Is that enough?” She takes a quick glance, nodding. Mando sighs, guiding me onto the ship. We all wave at Peli before closing the hatch. He leads me to the bunk, opening the door. “You’re going to rest.”

“But I’m…” Mando cuts me off, insisting I rest. I pout, but comply, crawling into the bunk and closing the door behind me. Mando takes the child with him up to the cockpit.

* * *

I set the kid in his seat behind mine, then take my place in my own seat in front. I start the engine, raising us off the ground, leaving Tatooine behind. Things were strange once I picked the kid up, but now they’re even stranger with Nat.  _ ‘Not just one, but two persons with powers… and is her uncle one too? She talked to him through the...force.’  _ All I know is that these wizards trained in the force and the mandalorian are ancient enemies, but these two don’t feel like enemies, they haven’t threatened me in any way. Hell they’ve protected me in some ways. I shake my head to get rid of the thoughts rushing my mind. The crest breaks the atmosphere and I warp into hyperspace. I sit back, trying to decide on a specific place. A place to make quick but lots of credits. I sigh at my first thought. Will he even let me back in? I turn to the kid.

“I have an idea but it’s probably a bad one, you ready?” He just looks at me, tilting his head cooing curiously. “I’m not sure either.” I punch in the coordinates and we head to our next destination.


End file.
